My electric bill has practically doubled. I blame my 2 cats
What’s going on with utilities?
For months — maybe even years — my electric bill was right around $80 a month.
Sometimes it was a little less, sometimes a little more, but rarely was it over $100.
No longer.
Now I’m lucky if it comes in under $160.
Sure, rates have gone up, and are going up again. PG&E raised its rates 8% in January and another 9% this month, which means my next bill will be even higher and I will whine even louder.
But a couple of single-digit increases shouldn’t cause my bill to go up that much, should they?
Surely, there’s another explanation — hopefully something I can control.
And no, I can’t dump PG&E, because I live in an area where community choice energy is not an option. Besides, CCE rates are going up too — though according to Central Coast Community Energy, they are still lower than PG&E’s.
I could install solar panels, but because I am a procrastinator, that will probably take at least two or three years.
For now, I’m hoping a few minor changes will help.
With that in mind, I do a haphazard energy audit.
Have I been using the dishwasher too much?
Leaving lights on?
Charging my electric car during peak hours?
And then it hits me — I have a new appliance.
It’s one of those fancy, plug-in water dishes for animals. It’s supposed to stay on all the time, so the water can continually circulate. It’s for dogs and cats, but only the cats use it so I’m going to blame them.
Yes, it’s irrational. I really should be blaming it on something more substantial — like climate change. Or maybe highly paid utility company executives.
But the cats are easier targets, and if I could lower my electric bill even a little by unplugging their water fountain and the self-cleaning litter box that one cat doesn’t even use, that would be a simple fix. Because it’s not like I can jettison the refrigerator or TV or washing machine. It has to be an expendable appliance.
So I do some research, which leads me, of course, straight to Quora, which is where all weird and random questions go to be answered by regular people who claim to have expertise in the subject, which means the information may or may not be accurate.
It’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole on Quora.
For example, when I sought out information on cat water fountains, I found this:
“My cat’s water fountain won’t turn on when I plug it in. My mom is going to beat me again if she finds out. What can I do? I am terrified.”
Whoa! That question took a turn, didn’t it?
The answer guy — in this case Mark R. Frank — starts with some helpful tips on how to solve the problem. Then he continues:
“’Beat you again?’ Tell your teacher and/or a school counselor. You haven’t done anything wrong; those fountains are notorious for not working.”
I’m torn between incredulity — surely this is a bogus letter — and a need to contact CPS. Except this question is a year old.
See what I mean about rabbit holes?
So back to the query about how much energy cat fountains consume.
An answer was provided by Michael Osborn:
“The one I have runs from a USB cable & adapter. The rated output was 1.5 watts. Most electricity is billed per kilowatt hour and depending on your location could average 10-12 cents/kilowatt hour. My pump would need about 27 days to use 1 kilowatt hour (10 cents). It’s cheap and well worth it as I found my cat drank more once I got it.”
I suppose my cats are worth 10 cents a month, so I’ll keep the water fountain.
But the plug-in litter box has got to go, and I’ll start seriously thinking about solar panels. In the next week or two.
